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January 14, 2008

New Evangelicals - The Evening Descends

There was a night back in '06 where we swung into Bowery to take in a headlining set from the always great Serena-Maneesh, and wound up having our heads shredded by the the cackling, shape-shifting psych-pop of Evangelicals. The mini romance begun at the Ballroom (and furthered by their debut So Gone) just blossomed into some full-on need-to-be-with-you/can't-stop-leaving-messages crazy-in-love shit this past Friday night, though, when we finally heard the band's follow-up The Evening Descends. Over and over again, all weekend.

This is a great album, a big, sprawling, mess of a trip through the band's unhinged and unruly musical vocabulary. It's a strain of pop, no mistake there; but as made by kids from Oklahoma weaned on the Lips and Scooby Doo re-runs, on 8-bit pastimes and '80s bands (U2, the Smiths, even the Cure circa "Just Like Heaven" come through virtuosic singer-guitarist Josh Jones's home blend). Now take that mess of modifiers and run it through a kaleidoscope, and you've got the mighty first cut:

Evangelicals - "Skeleton Man" (MP3)

Please listen to the entire record, streaming at MySpace -- though if you're picking and choosing, go "Midnight Vignette," "Paperback Suicide," and "Party Crashin'" to start. Love. It.

The Evening Descends is out 1/22 in the US, 2/4 in the UK via Dead Oceans.

Posted at 12:15 PM in
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12 Comments

It's so good. I read they were streaming it Saturday and I haven't stopped listening since. This is a legitmately great album and it's really taken me by surprise. The unhinged vocal performance on "How do you sleep" is incredible.

Posted by: NLP at 01/14/08 1:33 PM  | Reply
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Totally enjoying this!

Posted by: Matt at 01/14/08 3:20 PM  | Reply
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The name is Josh Jones. Get it straight! This kid's gonna be a star!!!

Posted by: Joan Rivers at 01/14/08 4:12 PM  | Reply
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You're right. This is a great "out-there-somewhere" kind of an experience. I streamed the album and I'll most definitely buy it. I especially liked Bloodstream, Here in the Deadlights and...well, all of it really.

Posted by: Tim at 01/14/08 4:49 PM  | Reply
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yeah it's fixed joan rivers, that was my bad and totally inexcusable given how much i love this band. missed you on the red carpet last night!

Posted by: amrit at 01/14/08 5:20 PM  | Reply
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the record sounds like Jeffrey Lee Pierce fronting Grandaddy at times. it's a really good night driving record

Posted by: Gun Klub at 01/14/08 6:45 PM  | Reply
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Josh Jones just did an interview with Festival City Radio, a podcast out of Norman, OK. There are 3 solo acoustic songs from the new album that sound pretty great. Check it out at festivalcityradio.libsyn.com or search the podcast section of itunes. It's episode 97.

Posted by: travis guestroom at 01/14/08 9:15 PM  | Reply
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Skeleton Man! Fuck Yeah!

Posted by: chad at 01/15/08 7:45 AM  | Reply
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Can't stop listening!

Great great music.

Posted by: sara, lisbon,portugal at 01/17/08 2:28 PM  | Reply
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Jeffrey Lee Pierce for sure... Sex Beat, GO!

Posted by: Jeffrey Lee Pierce's Ghost at 01/18/08 7:22 PM  | Reply
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I spent some time with these boys....
they made me evil.

Posted by: alistair crowley at 01/22/08 9:27 AM  | Reply
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This is seriously good.

Posted by: Eduardo at 06/18/08 3:32 PM  | Reply
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